Special prayer-book ceremony at Beit Shemesh school adapts to each student’s needs

A moving Siddur ceremony was held at the Shefer rehabilitation school in Beit Shemesh, part of the Ohel, a World of Advancing Education network. Students were joined by mothers, grandmothers and other relatives, along with rabbis and city dignitaries who came to honor the event.

What made the ceremony unusual was that each prayer book was customized to fit an individual pupil’s abilities and rehabilitation needs. Some editions were adapted visually, others were printed with special pages to make turning them easier, and some were prepared with augmentative and alternative communication tools, then loaded into an eye-tracking system or the student’s personal iPad. The goal was to remove physical barriers and let the children pray as independently and accessibly as possible.

Israel’s Chief Rabbi, Rabbi David Lau, attended and personally gave each child his or her Siddur. He said that, in his words, “the heavenly entourage” came to witness the children’s longing to open their special prayer books according to each one’s level and ability, and to pray, “mainly, to turn to the Creator straight from the heart.” He also praised the dedicated work of the Ohel network and its head, Rabbi Yehuda Levy, saying he sees the children’s progress, joy and hope whenever he visits the institution.

Prayer books for the girls were distributed separately by Sarah Sonnenfeld, wife of Ohel supporter and philanthropist Moti Sonnenfeld and chair of the Daniella Foundation. Beit Shemesh deputy mayor and education portfolio holder Yitzhak Elmalih also attended, saying he is repeatedly impressed by the scale of the work and the dedication shown in Ohel’s institutions.